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blood - brain barrier

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blood–brain barrier

Theoretical term for the defence mechanism that prevents many substances circulating in the bloodstream (including some germs) from invading the brain.

The blood–brain barrier is not a single entity, but a defensive complex comprising various physical features and chemical reactions to do with the permeability of cells. It ensures that ‘foreign’ proteins, carried in the blood vessels supplying the brain, do not breach the vessel walls and enter the brain tissue. Many drugs are unable to cross the blood–brain barrier.



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